Volunteering: the practice of people working on behalf of others without being motivated by financial or material gain.

We’re all familiar with the word, and at some point in our lives have volunteered to do something, somewhere, for an individual or organization. If done per the definition, a lot of self satisfaction and feeling of good will comes to the volunteer & recipient, and it can motivate others to do the same. Before proceeding, let it be noted that volunteering is not mandatory in our club, nor is someone looked down upon for not volunteering. We come to dance and have a good time. However, it does take work and volunteers to make the club successful. So, the old recipe tastes like this: (from the potential volunteer)

• “Call me if you need me.”
• “Let me know if you need anything.”
• “I’m available to do something if you ever run short of help.”

These are all good, but don’t have much impact. These requests are very good for newer people, but for those of us who have been around awhile, it’s time for a new recipe- a different way of thinking about helping our club.

Think about the following: (coming from the potential volunteer)

• “The Halloween party is coming up. Put my name down to help tear down afterwards.”
• “I love the Christmas dance and want to be a part. Put my name down on the list to set up Saturday at 10AM.”
• “I see we do split the pot every 1st Wednesday. Definitely put me and my friend down to work it every other month starting next month.”
• “BOTL was fun and I’m definitely helping on shirt sales next year. By the way, I’m going to get some of my friends to help me and then we’re going to help recruit others. We met some new people and want to meet more.”

This is just a “sampling” of the new recipe. Upfront; Bold; Determined; Exact; Definitive and YES!, Attitude. So, the next time the thought of helping out somewhere in the club crosses your mind, throw the old recipe away and enjoy the new and improved one. You’ll find yourself wanting to help more and enjoying the work in the process. How does it taste?

By Arthur Hughes, Chairman, Bop in the Rock

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